Shrew Research Articles

Evidence of Echolocation in the Common Shrew from Molecular Convergence with Other Echolocating Mammals.

Along with sophisticated echolocation found in bats and toothed whales, the common shrew (Sorex araneus) was confirmed to possess echolocation ability based on behavioral and experimental evidence such as high-frequency twittering and close-range spatial orientation. However, whether echolocation in the common shrew is convergent with bats and dolphins at the molecular level remains poorly understood. In this study, we gathered the coding region sequences of 11 hearing-related genes from genome data and previous studies. Convergent evolutionary analyses identified 13 amino acid residues (seven in CDH23, five in OTOF, and one in PRESTIN) under strong convergent evolution shared among the common shrew and other echolocating mammals (bats and dolphins). Furthermore, a phylogenetic tree was constructed based on the combined amino acid dataset of convergent/parallel substitutions, sites with parallel radical property changes, and sites supporting echolocator-convergence; it supported the converged topology of the simple echolocator Sorex araneus and sophisticated echolocating bats with high posterior probability. This study gives evidence at the molecular level that the common shrew echolocate and provides novel insights into the convergent evolution between the common shrew and bats and dolphins.

First continuous pre-Jaramillo to Jaramillo terrestrial vertebrate succession from Europe

In this paper, the early Pleistocene small vertebrate sequence of Quibas-Sima (Quibas karstic complex, Murcia, SE Spain) is presented. The available magnetostratigraphic information together with the small vertebrate association, allow to reliably constrain the age of the different units. The basal unit of the section has recorded a reversed polarity assigned to the pre-Jaramillo Matuyama (C1r.2r, i.e., between 1.2 and 1.07 Ma). The intermediate units have recorded a normal polarity correlated directly with the Jaramillo subchron (C1r.1n, between 1.07 and 0.99 Ma), while the upper units record the post-Jaramillo reverse polarity (C1r.1r, i.e., between 0.99 and 0.78). Jaramillo subchron is especially significant regarding the earliest hominin dispersal in Western Europe. However, vertebrate faunas unambiguously correlatable with Jaramillo subchron are extremely rare in Europe. Thereby, the study of the Quibas-Sima sequence allows to characterize the vertebrate association synchronous to this paleomagnetic episode in southern Iberian Peninsula, and contributes to increase knowledge of the biotic and climatic events that took place in southern Europe at the beginning of the Early-Middle Pleistocene transition, prior to the Matuyama-Brunhes boundary. A continuous small vertebrate succession has been reported, including representatives of the families Bufonidae, Pelodytidae, Testudinidae, Gekkonidae, Blanidae, Lacertidae, Colubridae, Viperidae, Soricidae, Erinaceidae, Rhinolophidae, Vespertilionidae, Muridae, Gliridae, Sciuridae, Leporidae and Ochotonidae The ecological affinities of the faunal association suggest a progressive reduction in forest cover in the onset of the Jaramillo subchron.

Critiquing Mastery and Maintaining Hierarchy in The Taming of the Shrew

Critiquing Mastery and Maintaining Hierarchy in The Taming of the Shrew

Genetic Diversity and Geographic Distribution of Bat-borne Hantaviruses.

The recent discovery that multiple species of shrews and moles (order Eulipotyphla, families Soricidae and Talpidae) from Europe, Asia, Africa and/or North America harbour genetically distinct viruses belonging to the family Hantaviridae (order Bunyavirales) has prompted a further exploration of their host diversification. In analysing thousands of frozen, RNAlater-preserved and ethanol-fixed tissues from bats (order Chiroptera) by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), ten hantaviruses have been detected to date in bat species belonging to the suborder Yinpterochiroptera (families Hipposideridae, Pteropodidae and Rhinolophidae) and the suborder Yangochiroptera (families Emballonuriade, Nycteridae and Vespertilionidae). Of these, six hantaviruses are from Asia (Xuân Son virus and Dakrông virus in Vietnam; Láibin virus in China and Myanmar; Huángpí virus and Lóngquán virus in China; and Quezon virus in the Philippines); three are from Africa (Mouyassué virus in Côte d'Ivoire and Ethiopia; Magboi virus in Sierra Leone; and Makokou virus in Gabon); and one from Europe (Brno virus in the Czech Republic). Molecular identification of many more bat-borne hantaviruses is expected. However, thus far, none of these newfound viruses has been isolated in cell culture and it is unclear if they cause infection or disease in humans. Future research must focus on myriad unanswered questions about the genetic diversity and geographic distribution, as well as the pathogenic potential, of bat-borne viruses of the family Hantaviridae.

Highly Divergent Genetic Variants of Soricid-Borne Altai Virus (Hantaviridae) in Eurasia Suggest Ancient Host-Switching Events.

With the recent discovery of genetically distinct hantaviruses (family Hantaviridae) in shrews (order Eulipotyphla, family Soricidae), the once-conventional view that rodents (order Rodentia) served as the primordial reservoir hosts now appears improbable. The newly identified soricid-borne hantaviruses generally demonstrate well-resolved lineages organized according to host taxa and geographic origin. However, beginning in 2007, we detected sequences that did not conform to the prototypic hantaviruses associated with their soricid host species and/or geographic locations. That is, Eurasian common shrews (Sorex araneus), captured in Hungary and Russia, were found to harbor hantaviruses belonging to two separate and highly divergent lineages. We have since accumulated additional examples of these highly distinctive hantavirus sequences in the Laxmann’s shrew (Sorex caecutiens), flat-skulled shrew (Sorex roboratus) and Eurasian least shrew (Sorex minutissimus), captured at the same time and in the same location in the Sakha Republic in Far Eastern Russia. Pair-wise alignment and phylogenetic analysis of partial and full-length S-, M- and/or L-segment sequences indicate that a distinct hantavirus species related to Altai virus (ALTV), first reported in a Eurasian common shrew from Western Siberia, was being maintained in these closely related syntopic soricine shrew species. These findings suggest that genetic variants of ALTV might have resulted from ancient host-switching events with subsequent diversification within the Soricini tribe in Eurasia.

The complete mitochondrial genome of pygmy red-toothed shrew (Chodsigoa parva)

The study of pygmy red-toothed shrew (Chodsigoa parva), which is the smallest species of geuns Chodsigoa, is extremely lacking. Also, it is classified as data deficient (DD) on The IUCN Red List. Here, we obtained a complete mitochondrial genome of Chodsigoa parva. The mitochondrial genome of C. parva is totally 17,216 bp in length and it is composed of 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes (tRNA), 2 ribosomal RNA genes (rRNA), and 2 non-coding regions. We restructured Bayesian phylogenetic tree by using 19 species those belong to family Soricidae. The mitochondrial genome can provide basic data for further study about the phylogenetic relationship of family Soricidae.

东北亚地区鼩鼱科动物分子生态学研究进展

PDF HTML阅读 XML下载 导出引用 引用提醒 东北亚地区鼩鼱科动物分子生态学研究进展 DOI: 10.5846/stxb201807251594 作者: 作者单位: 牡丹江师范学院生命科学与技术学院;牡丹江师范学院生命科学与技术学院;牡丹江师范学院生命科学与技术学院,东北林业大学野生动物资源学院 哈尔滨;牡丹江师范学院生命科学与技术学院,东北林业大学野生动物资源学院 哈尔滨;牡丹江师范学院生命科学与技术学院;牡丹江师范学院生命科学与技术学院;牡丹江师范学院生命科学与技术学院 作者简介: 通讯作者: 中图分类号: 基金项目: 黑龙江省教育厅备案项目（1354ZD004，1354PT005，1354PT006）；黑龙江省自然基金项目（C2017065）；牡丹江师范学院项目（PT2018007） Current progress and prospects in the molecular ecology of Soricidae in Northeast Asia Author: Affiliation: College of Life Science and Technology, Mudanjiang Normal University,, Fund Project: 摘要 | 图/表 | 访问统计 | 参考文献 | 相似文献 | 引证文献 | 资源附件 | 文章评论 摘要:在东北亚地区（中国的东北地区和内蒙古东北部、日本、朝鲜半岛、蒙古国、俄罗斯的远东地区）具有较为丰富的鼩鼱科类群。分子生物学方法的快速发展，使东北亚地区鼩鼱科动物分子生态学研究不断深入。对鼩鼱科动物的分子系统发育、遗传多样性和分子系统地理学等分子生态学内容进行了综述。提出鼩鼱科动物分子生态学研究未来的发展：1）东北亚地区第四纪冰期避难所的研究；2）同域分布的鼩鼱科动物比较系统地理学研究；3）中国东北地区鼩鼱科动物在东北亚分布区的系统地理学地位；4）新型分子标记和分析方法的发展。 Abstract:In Northeast Asia (Northeast China and the northeast of Inner Mongolia, Japan, the Korean Peninsula, Mongolia, and the Russian Far East), there are a wealth of species in the family Soricidae. In Northeast Asia, studies on the molecular ecology of the Soricidae have increased rapidly along with on going advances in molecular biology methods. In this study, we review the molecular phylogeny, genetic diversity, and molecular phylogeography of the Soricidae. Four expectations regarding future developments in the molecular ecology of Soricidae are proposed in this paper:(1) the study of Quaternary glacial refugia in Northeast Asia; (2) study of the comparative phylogeography of Soricidae distributed in the same region; (3) the phylogeographical status of Soricidae in Northeast Asia and Northeast China; and (4) the development of new molecular markers and new analytical methods. 参考文献 相似文献 引证文献

American Recent Eulipotyphla: Nesophontids, Solenodons, Moles, and Shrews in the New World

The mammalian taxonomic order Eulipotyphla comprises the living families Erinaceidae (gymnures, hedgehogs, and moonrats), Solenodontidae (solenodons), Soricidae (shrews), and Talpidae (desmans and moles), as well as the recently extinct Nesophontidae (nesophontids). Morphological and molecular studies continue to alter our view of relationships within and among these families, and this research has added considerably to our understanding of the diversity, distributions, and relationships of many of the New World (i.e., North and South America and associated islands) species that comprise them. Currently, there are more than 450 recognized living species worldwide, making the Eulipotyphla the third most speciose order of mammals. In this work, I attempt to summarize the taxonomic results of recent studies, provide a guide to the most appropriate current applications of New World taxonomic names and their synonyms, and indicate current understanding of their distributions. The eulipotyphlans of this region currently include 111 recognized species of shrews, seven species of moles, and both living species of solenodons.

Corrigendum: Anti-emetic Action of the Brain-Penetrating New Ghrelin Agonist, HM01, Alone and in Combination With the 5-HT3 Antagonist, Palonosetron and With the NK1 Antagonist, Netupitant, Against Cisplatin- and Motion-Induced Emesis in Suncus murinus (House Musk Shrew).

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2018.00869.].

The small mammal fauna from the palaeolithic site Marathousa 1 (Greece)

The lacustrine deposits exposed at the Lower Palaeolithic site Marathousa 1 (Megalopolis, S. Greece) and intercalated between lignite Seam II and III yielded a collection of small vertebrate remains. The assemblage includes fish and small mammals; the mammal assemblage encompasses a variety of species, dominated by voles (arvicolids) of the genera Arvicola and Microtus. Other rodents are represented by a dipod cf. Alactaga and a murid of the genus Apodemus. In addition, there is a number of insectivore remains that refer to the family Soricidae, and more specifically to the genus Crocidura.The unrooted Arvicola molars show a positive‘Mimomys’ enamel differentiation with a mean SDQ value of 122, indicating a late Middle Pleistocene age (ca. 400 ka.) (MIS 12/11). The Marathousa 1 assemblage is clearly younger than the Choremi assemblages sampled ca. 20 years ago in the same basin. In the Choremi assemblage, Mimomys, the predecessor of the genus Arvicola, is the predominant arvicolid.

Gendered Identities: Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew

William Shakespeare’in “Hircin Kiz” adli oyunu, ataerkil otoriteyi iceren Elizabeth donemi kaidelerinin sergilendigi sosyal dunyayi sorgular. Oyunun konusu, tartismali bir konu olan cinsiyet rollerinin tasviridir. Shakespeare’in “Hircin Kiz” oyununun belirsiz yonleri, oyunun ataerkil toplumda, kadinin erkek egemenligine teslim olup olmamasi ya da karsilikli bir iliskide gucunu gosterip gosterememesi ile ilgilidir. Yuzyillar boyunca, oyunun hem metni hem de performansi elestirmenler, yapimcilar ve yonetmenler tarafindan farkli sekillerde yorumlanmistir. Hemen hemen hepsi de oyunun bu tartismali yonune farkli boyutlar katmislardir. Shakespeare’in metnine gecmeden once, Caroline Bryne’in 2016 Globe Tiyatrosu yorumu degerlendirilecektir cunku bir kadin yonetmenin “evcillestirme” denen bu problemli konuyu, Shakespeare’in “evcillestirilmis sirret” tasvirinin yeniden sunumunu nasil ele aldigini gormek onem arz eder. Daha sonra ise oyun metni cinsiyetlendirilmis kimlikler baglaminda incelenecektir.

Evolutionary history of the genus Sorex (Soricidae, Eulipotyphla) as inferred from multigene data

AbstractThe genus Sorex is one of the most diverse and ecologically successful lineages of the family Soricidae. We present the first multilocus nuclear phylogeny focusing on the nominal subgenus Sorex s.str., which is distributed mainly in the northern Palearctic. The nuclear tree (six exons) provides more resolution than the mitochondrial data (cytb) and supports subdivision into eight species groups within Sorex s.str., most of which correspond to those recognized from chromosome data. The European species S. alpinus is consistently placed as the basal lineage in the Palearctic clade, while the next split separates the east‐Tibetan group of striped shrews (S. aff. cylindricauda, S. bedfordiae, S. excelsus). Within the remaining species, the following well‐supported clades are identified at the supra‐group level: “araneus” species group+S. samniticus; the “caecutiens” group+the “minutus” group, the latter also including S. minutissimus, S. gracillimus and S. thibetanus. S. raddei and S. roboratus represent separate lineages with no close relatives. The fossil‐calibrated molecular clock placed the divergence between Sorex s.str. and Otisorex at the Early/Middle Miocene boundary. Basal radiation of the crown Sorex s.str. was estimated to have occurred in the middle of the Late Miocene. A more than threefold increase in the diversification rate is inferred for the Early Pliocene. Taxonomic implications including potential genus ranks for Sorex s.str. and Otisorex are discussed. S. alpinus is placed in the monotypic subgenus Homalurus. The full species status of S. buchariensis and S. thibetanus and close relationships between S. cf. cansulus and S. caecutiens are confirmed.

The Taming of the Shrew

The Taming of the Shrew

Novel polyomaviruses in shrews (Soricidae) with close similarity to human polyomavirus 12.

Shrews (family Soricidae) have already been reported to host microorganisms pathogenic for humans. In an effort to search for additional infectious agents with zoonotic potential, we detected polyomaviruses (PyVs) in common shrew, crowned shrew, and pygmy shrew (Sorex araneus, S. coronatus and S. minutus). From these, 11 full circular genomes were determined. Phylogenetic analysis based on large T protein sequences showed that these novel PyVs form a separate clade within the genus Alphapolyomavirus. Within this clade, the phylogenetic relationships suggest host-virus co-divergence. Surprisingly, one PyV from common shrew showed a genomic sequence nearly identical to that of the human polyomavirus 12 (HPyV12). This indicated that HPyV12 is a variant of a non-human PyV that naturally infects shrews. Whether HPyV12 is a bona fide human-tropic polyomavirus arising from a recent shrew-to-human transmission event or instead reflects a technical artefact, such as consumable contamination with shrew material, needs further investigation.

“Play the Woman”: The Feminine Theatricality of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew and Shakespeare and Fletcher’s Henry VIII

동시대 잉글랜드와 가까운 시공간을 배경으로 삼은 <헨리 8세>는 셰익스피어의 역사극 중에서 비교적 덜 전복적인 작품으로 꼽힌다. 이는 셰익스피어와 플레처가 왕가를 재현하는 데에 큰 부담을 느끼고, 국가권력의 검열과 타협한 결과일 것이다. 한편 셰익스피어의 <말괄량이 길들이기>도 셰익스피어의 로맨틱 코미디중에서는 체제순응적인 편이라는 평가를 받는다. 두 텍스트는 상이한 장르로 분류되지만 과도하고 의식적인 여성적 연극성이라는 공통점을 갖고 있는데, 이는 지배 권력의 폭력적인 검열을 회피하는 수단인 동시에, 저항의 한 형태로도 기능한다. 마치 극중 인물이 작품 속 세계의 억압을 피하기 위해 여성성이라는 가면을 뒤집어쓰듯, 두 텍스트는 극의 전체적인 구조와 전개 등을 체제 순응적 내러 티브로 무장한다. 그러나 연기자가 젠더 수행을 과장함으로써 자신과 여성성이라는 가면 사이의 균열을 의도적으로 드러낼 수 있듯이, 두 텍스트도 언뜻 보기에는 무해해 보이는 서사를 의심스러우리만치 호들갑스럽게 재현하는 전략으로 스스로 재생산하는 지배 권력의 이데올로기에 균열을 일으킨다. 젠더, 계급 등의 권력구도에서 핍박받은 경험이 있는 관객 혹은 독자만이 그 틈새를 눈치 채고, 무대 위에서 생산되는 전복적 진실에의 가능성을 읽어낼 수 있다. 필자는 <헨리 8세>와 <말괄량이 길들이기>의 등장인물들이 선택하는 연극적인 여성성 수행전략을 텍스트 자체의 연극성과 연관 지어 살펴볼 것이다. 또한, 이를 통해 두 작품이 가면을 깨고 자발적으로 관객에게 허구성을 드러내 보임으로써 지배 이데올 로기를 우회적으로 비판하는 과정을 추적하고자 한다.This paper examines a parallel between the strategic theatricality demonstrated by Shakespeare’s female characters in Henry VIII and The Taming of the Shrew, and interrogates how the two plays skillfully challenge the predominant ideology by breaking character and reminding the audience of its own fictiveness. Henry VIII is the closest that Shakespeare ever came to directly commenting on a living authority, and The Taming of the Shrew is considered one of the least explicitly subversive works among his romantic comedies. The two plays, although categorized in different genres, both demonstrate an exaggerated, self-conscious theatricality that simultaneously serves as a survival strategy of deception and as a form of resistance. Like a female character who disguises herself as a stereotype to evade the oppression of the world, the two plays present a conforming narrative through their structure and overarching plot. Yet, like an actress that criticizes her own character by self-consciously overplaying it, the text at times breaches the illusion that it creates. In this way, members of the audience who are positioned low enough in the hierarchy may catch glimpses of a very different truth.

The Taming of the Shrew

The Taming of the Shrew

Was the Shrew Tamed or Charmed in The Taming of the Shrew?

Was the Shrew Tamed or Charmed in The Taming of the Shrew?

Recent and subrecent diet of the barn owl (Tyto alba) in Slovakia

Abstract We completed data on the diet of the barn owl (Tyto alba) predominately from pellets for the period of the last 50 years from Slovakia. We analyzed material from 251 locations and 16 territorial units. The aggregate represents 119,231 pieces of prey from 47 species of mammals (Mammalia, 95.7%) and 58 species of birds (Aves, 3.9%), with a small representation of amphibians, reptiles (Amphibia and Reptilia, 0.2%) and invertebrates (Invertebrata, 0.2%). The obtaining of food among the owls is limited to synanthropic environments and the surrounding agricultural landscape, and the centre of its distribution in the recent period (i.e. the past 50 years: 1965-201 5) has been concentrated mainly on the southern parts of Slovakia. In this environment the common vole (Microtus arvalis, 59.6%) is the primary prey. Additional prey are rodents of the family Muridae: Mus musculus (5.6%), Micromys minutus (2.2%), Apodemus microps (2.2%), A. flavicollis (2.0%), A. sylvaticus (1 .6%) and A. agrarius (1 .5%); insectivores of the family Soricidae: Sorex araneus (6.2%), S. minutus (2.4%), Crocidura leucodon (4.8%) and C. suaveolens (2.8%); and the house sparrow Passer domesticus (2.9%). In the higher situated Turcianska kotlina Basin the species M. arvalis (74.3%) has higher domination, and instead of the white-toothed shrews the water shrews Neomys anomalus (2.8%) and N. fodiens (1 .3%) are more abundantly represented. In 3 localities owls focused on hunting bats; for example, in the church in Ratková the order Chiroptera made up 35.2% of prey. From the subrecent period (i.e. from before more than 50 years ago) we evaluate 4 samples from the territory of Slovakia with 15,601 pieces of prey ofT. alba. Before more than 50 years ago owls were also more abundantly represented at higher elevations in Slovakia, evidence of which is Weisz’s collection of pellets from 1 6 localities in the Ondavská vrchovina Upland in the years 1945 to 1963, but also a registry of data from the 19th and 20th centuries from higher located basins. In 4 samples of food from the subrecent period diversity in the representation of owl prey is higher, accompanied by low domination ofM. arvalis and a more abundant representation of murids from the genera Mus and Apodemus. The oldest sample, dated to the 16th century, is from a church in Žilina-Rudiny

Identification of Pathogenic Leptospira in Rat and Shrew Populations Using rpoB Gene and Its Spatial Distribution in Boyolali District

Leptospirosis becomes health problem in Indonesia. Until April 2014, cases of leptospirosis transmitted by rats were reported in Boyolali with case fatality rate (CFR) 83.3%. Leptospira genus consists of various serovars and genetic types living in different environment. Classification of Leptospira species based on rpoB gene could be used as this gene has high level of polymorphism. This study aimed to identify Leptospira serovars in rat population using kinship analysis based on rpoB gene polymorphism and to describe spatial distribution of rats with Leptospira positive in Boyolali District. A cross sectional study was conducted on April 2014 at Sindon Village in Ngemplak Subdistrict and Jeron Village in Nogosari Subdistrict, Boyolali District. Polymerase Chain Reaction test was performed on 104 rat kidney samples from the two locations of study. Spatial analysis was conducted to map distribution of rats with Leptospira positive. There were six positive rpoB gene samples in Rattus tanezumi, Rattus argentiventer and Suncus murinus. Five of six positive samples showed the closest genetic kinship to Leptospira borgpetersenii serovar Sejroe based on rpoB gene. One isolate did not have a close genetic kinship to any serovar included in the cluster. Spatial analysis based on home range buffer zone showed that rats with Leptospira positive were found in 30 meter and 150 meter from leptospirosis patients. Abstrak Leptospirosis merupakan masalah kesehatan di Indonesia. Hingga April 2014, dilaporkan kasus leptospirosis yang ditularkan oleh tikus di Kabupaten Boyolali dengan angka kematian 83,3%. Genus Leptospira terdiri dari ratusan serovar dan tipe genetik yang hidup di pelbagai jenis habitat. Pengelompokan spesies Leptospira berdasarkan gen rpoB dapat digunakan karena tingkat polimorfisme gen tersebut tinggi. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengidentifikasi serovar bakteri Leptospira pada populasi tikus di Kabupaten Boyolali menggunakan analisis hubungan kekerabatan didasarkan pada polimorfisme gen rpoB dan menggambarkan distribusi spasial tikus positif Leptospira di Kabupaten Boyolali. Penelitian potong lintang dilaksanakan pada bulan April 2014 di Desa Sindon Kecamatan Ngemplak dan Desa Jeron Kecamatan Nogosari, Kabupaten Boyolali. Pemeriksaan Polymerase Chain Reaction dilakukan pada 104 sampel ginjal tikus dari dua lokasi penelitian. Analisis spasial sederhana dilakukan untuk memetakan sebaran tikus yang positif Leptospira. Terdapat enam sampel positif gen rpoB Leptospira pada Rattus tanezumi, Rattus argentiventer dan Suncus murinus. Lima dari keenam sampel menunjukkan hubungan kekerabatan yang paling dekat dengan Leptospira borgpetersenii serovar Sejroe berdasarkan gen rpoB. Satu isolat tidak memiliki hubungan kekerabatan yang dekat dengan serovar manapun yang masuk dalam cluster. Analisis spasial berdasarkan jarak aktivitas harian tikus menunjukkan tikus positif Leptospira ditemukan berada dalam kisaran 30 meter dan 150 meter dari penderita leptospirosis.

“Nothing is but what is not.” Performing constatives in Shakespeare’s drama

Abstract - Recent studies in historical pragmatics have focused on the performative language of Renaissance, drawing on J. L. Austin’s distinction between “constative” and “performative” utterances; the former refers to assertions that can be classified as true or false and the latter to the factual power of doing something rather than describing it. This model may prove particularly fruitful if applied to drama, and in particular to Shakespeare’s plays, for it provides a critical frame to examine to what extent language is involved in changes concerning the axiology of truth and falsehood. In this paper, I will focus on three case-situations taken from As you like it , Macbeth and The Taming of the Shrew , in order to demonstrate how a certain rhetoric of mendacity derives from the exploration of an emergent new semiosis and is performed in Shakespeare’s plays through the confusion and inversion of the two pragmatic categories.